Don’t want to lose anus
New member. Just received diagnosis with tumor 1cm from sphincter. Has anyone had a tumor shrunk and removed without losing their anus/sphincter and ability to poop normally? Any hope at all?
The idea of losing my body parts and changing my life forever, colostomy bag and whatnot as a single mom in her 40s is excruciatingly scary and depressing. Afraid of how I will manage chemo as a single mom but even more how to feel whole.
Desperate to hear hope that I might not lose ability to poop normally.
Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Colorectal Cancer Support Group.
Amen! I will be 90 in April and do all the same things. Having a sewed up bottomland wearing an ostomy bag does not bother me in the least.
No more rectal examination and no more having to find a head. lol
Today is St. Patrick 's day and it is also my 8th Anniversary of my APR surgery. I took was dishearted and concern when I was told that . Yet 8 years later my stomach is the same size of a quarter and nothing has changed with me either . I travel, camp , fish , hike and this has not changed or disrupted my lifestyle in any way.
I was diagnosed with anal cancer in September of 2022. I had 6 weeks of radiation and chemo. I was not declared cancer free until September of 2023. The treatment continued to work for months after it was completed. During that time I suffered from fecal incontinence caused by the radiation. I spent my days either in the bathroom or looking for one. The pain from the radiation was intolerable at times. Doctors don’t tell you that the pelvic area is one of the most sensitive areas to tolerate radiation. I was left with no other option than to have a colostomy. My surgery was in October 2024. I cried my heart out when the doctors suggested it. Thinking it was the worst possible solution. Here I am almost 5 months later and I feel great! Yes, having a bag is life changing, but it has given me back my life! I am no longer tied to the bathroom. So to answer your question, not having a functioning anus is no big deal!
U of Miami. The same.
First class and excellent in all regards
Make sure you have a dedicated team. Surgeon/ oncologist/ if necessary urologist
Also that they have a review board of that team / radiologists all looking at things done at their hospital
Saves time versus good hospitals with just a specialist who then needs to recruit others leading to time delays
Thank you for asking. I had my port placed today, will start chemo Monday, and radiation Tuesday. So far, I am impressed with all of my doctors and their staffs. Thankful for this group, though I know not everything will pertain to me.
Hi @blby1976, good to hear that reading the discussions here led to your asking the radiation oncologist questions.
How did the appointment with the oncologist go? When do you start chemoradiation?
@verol65, I encourage you and @chinoomee to start a new discussion about intimacy and sexual life living with colorectal cancer. I'm confident that there will be others who would welcome the opportunity to talk frankly about a subject that is often not talked about.
Could you share the links, please?
Yes, I know we should talk about it more…even if someone doesn’t have a bag or have had resection (recovery) or just chemo med induced diarrhea/gas it definitely interrupts any sexual activity. Well, even constipation can and these are all things we will all experience. I did find a few articles on the ostamates support website and there is also a section in the NCCN patient guide.
There isn't much talk of the impact of our surgeries on our sexual life, is there? I've seen groups open to talk about sexuality for women with breast cancer, but I haven't seen it for people with colorectal cancer. Why?